Downers

The Buzz

"Consumer specialists."

"Boutique."

About OC&C Strategy Consultants Asia

If you want to know what OC&C Strategy Consultants does, you
don't need to look too far for answers-it's right there in the
title. Focusing on strategic analysis, the firm breaks the concept
down into six organizational areas: group strategy, business
unit/divisional strategy, product/market/channel strategy,
transaction support, strategy realization, and organization and
change. And, like any strategy master or tactician, the firm's
emphasis isn't always on speed-it tries to pace itself during
consulting contracts, finding all the possible solutions to a
problem before jumping into operational issues. That's a strategy,
the firm says, that ensures clients benefit from truly custom-built
solutions, rather than off-the-shelf methodologies that may not fit
the client's needs.

Although OC&C-like many firms in the industry-doesn't
publicize its client list, it does claim to work not only with
major corporations, but also welcomes contracts from smaller
companies that need strategic help in rapidly changing industries,
stating that it wants to work with "ambitious organizations that
understand the importance of excellent strategy." Its industries
include business services, consumer goods, financial services,
industry and infrastructure, media, private equity, retail and
distribution, technology, telecommunications, and travel, transport
and logistics.

Expanding the
footprint

Chris Outram founded OC&C in London in 1987. After
several years at other consulting firms, including BCG and Booz
Allen Hamilton, Outram and a colleague had tired of the fact that
their employers devoted so much time to operational issues while
neglecting strategic analysis. So they decided it would be "more
fun and more challenging" to start their own firm.

While founded in Europe, with its first four offices in the UK,
Germany, France and the Netherlands, OC&C has successfully
expanded its footprint in core strategic markets to enable it to
serve the largest clients on a global basis. In 2002, OC&C
entered the US market, expanding to include an office in Boston
with huge strengths in media and publishing. The addition of
offices in India and Greater China (Hong Kong and Shanghai)
followed in 2006, as OC&C quickly leveraged its leading
European market position in the retail and Consumer Goods sectors
to Asia and beyond.

Most recently, OC&C has partnered with leading South
American consultancy, Advisia, in Brazil and incorporated offices
in Poland and Turkey. International growth remains firmly on
OC&C's strategic agenda, driving depth and breadth in all
markets.

Specialized generalists

One business area in which OC&C takes particular pride is
its expertise in consumer goods. Within this area, it tries to
provide solutions in three key sections: growth stakes,
profitability issues and category management. In connection with
consumer goods, retail and distribution have also long been an
OC&C focus. The firm claims to have been one of the original
advocates for the importance of emerging value offers, private
label goods and battling category killers. In addition, OC&C
has recently made heavy investigations into retail brand
development, strategic implementation and internalization
strategies.

The firm has made a significant effort to advise media outlets
since its founding. Some of the media-related services it offers
are strategy reviews, advice to governments on broadband policy,
transformational performance improvement, profitable use of the
digital arena, and go-to-market strategies for new services and
products. Several major media outlets have looked to the firm for
analysis of their own industry, concerning subjects ranging from
the use of free newspaper copies to boost circulation, to the
decline of magazine readership in the face of internet
competition.

Next to its work for corporate clients, OC&C has special
expertise in supporting the world's leading private equity firms in
such areas as potential investment scoping, vendor and buyer due
diligence, and post-acquisition strategy and/or
integration.

Strategizing a better
world

OC&C enjoys highlighting its charitable efforts, and has a
section dedicated to pro bono work on its website. The majority of
the firm's philanthropic work is in helping charities "achieve a
step-change in performance." They have a long-standing relationship
with Impetus PEF, and have given strategic due diligence and
business planning support to over 20 charities dealing with youth
conflict resolution, rehabilitation of prisoners and ex-offenders,
and helping those suffering from eating disorders.

In the last 12 months the firm has worked with IntoUniversity
(helping disadvantaged youths access University education),
Business In The Community (Corporations employing recently released
offenders), Family Nurse Partnership (teenage pregnancy related
issues) and helped with the merger of Impetus with the Private
Equity Foundation which completed in the middle of 2013 to create a
larger and more powerful force in the venture philanthropy arena.
Several charity initiatives are being supported pro-bono in every
OC&C geographic region.